Gunman kills 3 cops in France

Paris, Dec 23 (IANS) A gunman in France has shot dead three police officers who were called to a domestic violence incident in central France, officials said.A woman had fled to the roof of a house in the remote village of Saint-Just early on Wednesday.The gunman killed one officer and wounded another. He then set fire to the house and killed two more officers who arrived. The woman was rescued, the BBC reported.Police are still trying to locate the suspect, 48, who is said to be known to authorities on child custody issues.The mayor of Saint-Just, Francois Chautard, told Le Figaro that the house had burned down and officers were trying to determine whether the suspect was still inside or had escaped.However, a police source told BFMTV it was believed the gunman was on the run, the BBC reported.Elite tactical police officers and firefighters remain at the scene in the village in the Puy-de-Dome department, in France's Massif Central mountain region.Interior Minister Gerald Darmanin named the first officer who died as Brig Arno Mavel, 21, and the two who died in the second incident as Lt Cyrille Morel, 45, and Adjutant Remi Dupuis, 37.Darmanin expressed his profound sadness at the deaths and extended his condolences to family, friends and colleagues in the Gendarmerie.He said the deaths showed once more the risks that police officers were exposed to in their daily duties.The wounded officer was shot in the leg and his life is not in danger.
--IANS int/